1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally in the field of semiconductors. More particularly, the present invention is in the field of semiconductor die fabrication.
2. Background
Conventional semiconductor dies are typically designed to have a square or rectangular shape to facilitate the die fabrication and dicing processes. However, the corners of conventional semiconductor dies are subjected to high stress during various phases of the manufacturing process. Potential sources of high stress include probe card testing, die singulation, general die handling (such as “pick and place” processes), injection molding, wire bonding, and die packaging processes. High stress imposed on the corners of a die results in a high failure rate of circuits and bond pads placed close to the corners. As such, “keep out zones” are defined near the corners of each semiconductor die, which designate an area where bond pads or other circuitry should not be placed.
As semiconductor manufacturers attempt to increase the functionality of semiconductor dies, additional bond pads are typically required on the dies to implement such increases in functionality. As a consequence, due to the increasing demand for additional bond pads for signal, ground, and power distribution, there is an increasing demand for a more efficient use of die space to accommodate such additional bond pads. Moreover, as semiconductor dies are continuously reduced in size to meet industry demands, the already limited areas for the placement of bond pads on the semiconductor dies are becoming increasingly smaller.